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Taiwan Trails and Tales

@taiwantrailsandtales.com

1.7K followers 300 following 850 posts

I’m a British woman living and working in Taiwan, my partner’s homeland, and I’m here to spam your feed with all things mountains, trails, #hiking and #Taiwan. www.taiwantrailsandtales.com ⛰️🥾🏕️ 🇹🇼🇬🇧

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Taiwan Trails and Tales @taiwantrailsandtales.com · 3d

*Sanmin Bat Cave, no salmon here.

Taiwan Trails and Tales @taiwantrailsandtales.com · 3d

Snake in a tree. 🐍
A red banded snake (紅斑蛇) to be precise.

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Taiwan Trails and Tales @taiwantrailsandtales.com · 3d

Shady hikes are a good call will temperatures in the mid thirties even as we push into September. Here are a couple more cool contenders:

Shuangxigou Historic Trail
tinyurl.com/bdhe4usp

Dongman Trail
tinyurl.com/2p5w6jmf

Salmon Bat Cave
tinyurl.com/3kw2abcw

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Taiwan Trails and Tales @taiwantrailsandtales.com · 4d

In that case, you have my commiserations! On the plus side, at least there should be some top notch fruit in your bags by the time you get home.

Taiwan Trails and Tales @taiwantrailsandtales.com · 4d

Dare I ask whether you’re the middle-aged woman, husband, daughter or spectator in this scenario?

Taiwan Trails and Tales @taiwantrailsandtales.com · 4d

💁🏻‍♀️: They’re so expensive! They were expensive in Japan, too.

She then wandered off, letting her husband and daughter resume staring into space or at a phone screen.

💁🏻‍♀️: Did you see those cherries? We should come back to buy a box in two days. Let’s do that. We’ll buy them in two days.

🤦🏻‍♀️🙎🏻‍♂️: …

Taiwan Trails and Tales @taiwantrailsandtales.com · 4d

💁🏻‍♀️: Hey! I said, have you ever seen such big Chinese pears?

🤦🏻‍♀️: *ambles over and gives the pears a cursory glance* No, guess not.

💁🏻‍♀️: Aren’t they really big?!

🤦🏻‍♀️: Yeah

💁🏻‍♀️: Look at those grapes! They’re Japanese grapes. They’re so expensive. How much did we pay for grapes in Japan?

🙎🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♀️: *no comment*

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Taiwan Trails and Tales @taiwantrailsandtales.com · 4d

💁🏻‍♀️Woman: Look at these blueberries! If we buy them today and wash them, we can eat them in the car tomorrow!

🙎🏻‍♂️Husband: OK

💁🏻‍♀️:Oh wow! Look at these Chinese pears! They’re huge! Have you ever seen a pear this big before?!

🤦🏻‍♀️ Daughter: *continues to watch videos on her phone*

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Taiwan Trails and Tales @taiwantrailsandtales.com · 4d

Observed in a fruit shop, 9:30-9:40 pm.

An excitable middle-aged woman is queuing with a monosyllabic husband and a uni-aged daughter. The woman is AMPED to be in a fruit shop (it is a great fruit shop). She flits around from place to place as her family queue for her.

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Taiwan Trails and Tales @taiwantrailsandtales.com · 19d

Some cracking paintwork on display here.

Taiwan Trails and Tales @taiwantrailsandtales.com · 21d

Ever wondered how building materials are transported up steep hills? These workers have a ropeway for carrying heavy stuff and seem to be living in dormitories on a nearby rise while their job is underway.

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Taiwan Trails and Tales @taiwantrailsandtales.com · 23d

And the water, when it shows up on the scene is well worth the effort.

A person swimming in a natural swimming hole surrounded by large boulders and lush tropical vegetation. The clear, greenish water reflects the surrounding landscape, while massive weathered rocks with orange-brown staining create a dramatic backdrop. Dense green foliage, including ferns and tropical plants, covers the steep hillsides and grows between the rock formations, creating a secluded natural pool environment.

A dramatic rocky gorge with towering stone cliffs on both sides, creating a narrow canyon with a dark pool of water at the bottom. A person with a bright dry bag stands on the sloped rock face, providing scale to the massive geological formations. The rocks are covered with bright green moss and algae, while lush tropical vegetation including ferns and trees grows from crevices in the cliff faces. Orange and rust-colored staining streaks down parts of the rock walls, and the overcast sky is visible through the narrow opening above.

A hiker with a bright green backpack stands on rocks beside a calm stream or river, dwarfed by a massive sandstone cliff face that rises dramatically beside the water. The rocky riverbed is filled with smooth, rounded boulders of various sizes. Lush tropical vegetation including trees, ferns, and grasses surrounds the scene, while orange mineral staining streaks down portions of the towering rock wall. The sky is overcast, creating soft lighting that reflects on the water's surface

Two river tracers explore a lush tropical valley with a stream running through it, surrounded by towering green hills covered in dense vegetation. Large weathered boulders with orange mineral staining line the rocky streambed, while tall grasses and tropical plants create a jungle-like environment. The valley stretches into the distance with multiple layers of verdant mountains under an overcast sky, creating a dramatic and secluded natural setting.

Taiwan Trails and Tales @taiwantrailsandtales.com · 23d

The climb (and descent) to the river offers views that are both coastal and ruggedly mountainous in nature.

Lush green mountains shrouded in mist and low clouds. The landscape features dramatic ridges and valleys covered in dense tropical vegetation, with darker rocky outcroppings visible through the verdant forest canopy. Native plants with broad leaves are visible in the foreground, while the misty atmosphere creates a moody, atmospheric scene.

Aerial view of Nanya, a small coastal settlement nestled between dramatic green mountains and the ocean. Multi-story concrete buildings in various colors are dotted amongst the smaller houses clustered along the shoreline, with waves breaking against rocky outcroppings. The settlement is surrounded by lush tropical vegetation and steep, verdant hillsides under a partly cloudy blue sky. The turquoise ocean stretches to the horizon, creating a striking contrast with the mountainous landscape.

A hiker with a bright green backpack navigates a steep, rocky trail through dense tropical forest. The person is climbing down a dirt path surrounded by lush vegetation including ferns, broad-leafed plants, and tall trees that create a natural canopy overhead. The forest setting appears humid and verdant, with dappled sunlight filtering through the thick foliage.

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Taiwan Trails and Tales @taiwantrailsandtales.com · 23d

DAGUI WATERFALL RIVER TRACE (大鬼瀑布溯溪)

With summer dragging on for a seemingly infinite length of time, there's nothing more appealing than immersing yourself in the nearest body of water and this easy river trace in New Taipei's Ruifang District is a top hot day spot.

🔗 tinyurl.com/4ap6xckp

DAGUI WATERFALL RIVER TRACE (大鬼瀑布溯溪)

With Taiwan’s summers dragging on for a seemingly infinite length of time, there’s nothing more appealing than immersing yourself in the nearest body of water and this easy river trace …

tinyurl.com

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Taiwan Trails and Tales @taiwantrailsandtales.com · Sep 5

It is a special feeling to walk in the moonlight.

Taiwan Trails and Tales @taiwantrailsandtales.com · Sep 5

Moon shadow.
🌖

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Taiwan Trails and Tales @taiwantrailsandtales.com · Sep 5

Magpie of the day.

A mosaic mural on a beige tile wall depicts a Taiwan blue magpie perched on a branch with red cherry blossoms against a cream background. In the foreground, stacks of plastic crates - brown ones on the left and purple ones on the right - sit on concrete ground near a blue water container. Lush green foliage frames the scene, with large leaves visible in the corners.

Taiwan Trails and Tales @taiwantrailsandtales.com · Aug 30

That’s right. I guess it’s similar to English speakers calling a pet Blacky. The similar names, 小黑 and 小白 seem to be the among the most common names for dogs here.

Taiwan Trails and Tales @taiwantrailsandtales.com · Aug 30

The cat is named 黑黑. He’s pretty shy.

Taiwan Trails and Tales @taiwantrailsandtales.com · Aug 30

Ouch! It was merciless with my stick, so I hate to imagine what it would do to soft flesh.

Taiwan Trails and Tales @taiwantrailsandtales.com · Aug 30

Water scorpion vs. stick.

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Taiwan Trails and Tales @taiwantrailsandtales.com · Aug 29

A cat’s kingdom.

A twilight view of Taipei city from an elevated hillside vantage point, showing the illuminated urban sprawl spread across the valley below. The sky transitions from deep blue at the top to warm orange and pink hues near the horizon. The city lights create a glowing tapestry across the landscape, with tall buildings and skyscrapers visible in the downtown area. In the foreground, dark silhouettes of trees and rocky terrain frame the view, including what appears to be a large rock formation or cliff edge on the right side. The scene captures the golden hour transition between day and night, with the city lights beginning to dominate as natural light fades."

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Taiwan Trails and Tales @taiwantrailsandtales.com · Aug 29

It was very strange light.

Taiwan Trails and Tales @taiwantrailsandtales.com · Aug 29

Dramatic light over Taipei tonight.

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Taiwan Trails and Tales @taiwantrailsandtales.com · Aug 28

With ghost month underway, Keelung’s markets and religious vendors are full of offerings to appease the hungry spirits. In the past, real animals would have been slaughtered, but that practise has been abandoned in favour of symbolic animal offerings. #Taiwan #GhostMonth #Keelung

A colorful display of ceremonial offerings at a market stall, featuring plastic animal masks including a cow with black and white markings and a pig with a red snout, surrounded by shimmery purple tinsel garland, red ribbons, wrapped candies and snacks, and traditional paper decorations with Chinese characters.

A vendor's display of traditional Chinese ceremonial items, featuring elaborate golden and red paper offerings folded in the shape of boats.

A bustling street market stall displaying traditional Chinese ceremonial offerings and ritual items. The foreground shows stacks of round wooden containers wrapped in plastic with red ribbons, alongside plastic animal masks including pigs and cows. Elaborate decorative items feature red and gold paper ornaments, tinsel garlands, and ornate ceremonial structures. The scene is set on a covered sidewalk with modern apartment buildings in the background, Chinese signage on storefronts, and people walking and riding scooters through the busy urban street.

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